Whispers From the Past
by HopeSwe
Summary: When Regina starts having haunting dreams and an unexpected visitor shows up at her home begging for her help, she soon finds out that her dreams are not only dreams. Trying to help the visitor Regina must walk down a long and painful path. A path she long ago forgot even excited. Will she be able to help the visitor or will she lose herself on the way?


"Mommy, mommy!" The little girl called as she ran as fast as her tiny legs would allow, through the big ball room. Her left hand was delicately holding up her long, lilac dress so that she wouldn't trip over the fabric. Her mother was standing on the other side of the room talking with another woman that the little girl did not recognize. A lot of strangers had shown up at the palace lately, and the child never understood what it was about. In her right hand she was gently holding on to a beautiful blue winged butterfly that she had caught when she was outside playing with one of the maids. She was careful not to hurt it in any way, she just wanted to show her mother the beautiful creature that she had found.

"Not now, Regina." The woman brushed the six year old child off without even looking at her.

"But mommy, look what I fou-"

"I said not now, Regina!" The brunette woman barked, turning around, an angry frown spreading across the features on her face. Regina's shoulders tensed and she held her breath. She knew she had done something wrong.

"How many times have I told you it's rude to interrupt adults as they are talking? Nice ladies don't do that. They wait, until they are finished. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mother. I'm sorry." Regina said and lowered her head, her lips forming a slight pout. Why did her mother never have the time for her? She was always busy with things. All Regina wanted to do was to spend time with her mother.

"It's okay, dear, but you have to learn. Now, run along and play with your toys. I'll be with you in a minute." With those words her mother turned back to the other woman, who by the way didn't look too amused by Regina's interruption. Regina could feel the tears beginning to sting in her eyes as she tried very hard to hold them back. Little did she know that her father, Henry, had walked up behind her. He placed his warm, comforting hands on each of her shoulders.

"Honey, come here" He said in a low voice and steered the little girl by her shoulders, away from her mother Cora and their royal guest. He took her out into the sunny garden and sat her down on a bench.

"Daddy…" Regina spoke, trying to wipe away the tear that now had sought its way down her slightly warm and rosy cheek. "Mother doesn't love me anymore."

"Oh, yes, honey, she does. She just doesn't know how to show it in the right ways." Her father spoke. "She always wants what's best for you"

"Then why won't she see what I found?" Regina insisted, holding her closed hand forward, in which she had been holding the butterfly all this while. Wait? Was it still there? It didn't move.

"What have you got there?"

She slowly opened up her hand but gasped at what she found. The once so beautiful butterfly was now lying lifeless in her palm with its wings broken at the tips.

"Is it…dead?" the six year old asked, still staring at the insect. Her father sat down beside her and carefully picked the butterfly up into his hands.

"I'm afraid so, princess. I'm sorry"

"I killed it. I didn't mean to hurt it. I'm a bad girl.." The little girl said, tears welling up in her eyes once again.

"Absolutely not. I've known you your entire life and there is not a bad bone in your body. You see, Regina. Butterflies are very fragile creatures. They don't like being carried in a closed palm, they want to be free. They want to be able to spread their wings and fly. Fly through green summer fields in the sunny summer weather… "

"Henry, what are you doing?" Cora asked from behind them, which made Regina a little startled. She did not at all expect her mother to be out with them so soon.  
"It's time for Regina's reading session."

"I thought it was later this afternoon" Henry said with a frown, standing up, still holding the dead butterfly in his open hand.

"I changed it." Cora responded then narrowed her eyes as she spotted the insect.

"What is that disgusting bug you're holding in your hand? Get rid of it this instant!"

"No!" Regina shouted and jumped up from her seat on the bench. She saw Henry and Cora exchanging looks, like they were battling wills. "We're going to bury it. Right, daddy?"

"Yes, we are." Henry responded without taking his eyes off of Cora's.

"Very well, then. I guess I'll have to get rid of it myself then." Cora said, and with a wave of her hand the butterfly disappeared in a small puff of purple smoke.

"Why did you do that?! Give her back!" Regina demanded, stomping her foot angrily as tears of anger and disappointment rolled down her face.

"Her? That's not a she, that's an it, dear. Besides you're a young lady. You're not supposed to play with bugs, especially not dead ones. Nor are you supposed to play in the dirt."

"Cora…" Henry tried, but all Cora did was giving him a stern, warning look in return, which the man knew was his que to stay out of it.

"You always do that. You always use magic. I hate it! If I don't get her back I'm not going to my reading session." Regina dared to threaten her mother. Although, in the same instant she did so, she knew she would regret it.

"Watch your tongue, young girl." Cora said and raised her arm which made little Regina hover up in the air a few feet. It wasn't far down but it was high enough for Regina to get scared. It was the very first time Cora had ever used magic on Regina physically as a punishment.

"Cora, please, let her go. She's only a child" Henry spoke moving in closer.

"Shut it, Henry. Regina knows very well not to talk back to adults like that. I'll let her down once she's ready to be a good girl again"

"I-I will be a g-good girl" Regina stuttered. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest out of fear. Would her mother actually hurt her?

"That's my girl" Cora answered and offered a sweet smile as she carefully lowered Regina down. Once safely down on the ground again, Cora placed her hands on a frightened six year old's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Regina, you have to understand. I just want what's best for you and your future. Everything I do, I do because I love you."

Regina's eyes shot wide open. At first she wasn't sure where she was but after a while she figured that she was safe and sound in her bed back in Storybrooke. What had just happened? Had that just been a bad dream or had it been a memory? The 35 year old sat up in bed and pushed the soft covers from her legs. Swinging them over the edge, Regina glanced at the clock at the white beside table near the bed. 3:15 am. It was still in the middle of the night. She sighed and pushed herself out of bed, before steering towards the bathroom to wash her face. She needed to cool off.

The cool water from the water tap looked like glimmering silver in the dark as it sought its way down the drain, making a soothing rippling noise as it did so. She hadn't had the energy to turn the lamp on, so she was still standing in the dark. Putting her hands into the cold stream of water, she splashed some of it over her face, not really caring that some drops had dripped on to the shirt she was sleeping in. She waited a few seconds before opening up her eyes again and placed her hands on the basin edge for support. She needed to breathe, she needed to think.

When she was done she slowly opened up her eyes again, staring at her own reflection in the mirror. Regina was searching for that young girl inside of her that she had just dreamt about. But all she saw was the image of herself putting Cora's cursed heart back into her body and watching her mother first transform to a whole other person, a happy, caring one, before falling to the ground. It played over and over again in Regina's head, like a movie on repeat, until Regina closed her eyes and tried to shake the image out. She killed her own mother. Even though she did blame Mary Margaret, or Snow White, for having tricked her, she did also blame herself for trusting Snow.

"Regina…"

Regina's eyes shot back open. Did she hear her name? It couldn't be possible. She was home alone. Henry stayed with Emma and had done so….well, way too long.

"Regina…"

There it was again. This time Regina spun around to get a better look at the dark bathroom. Turning on the light, she figured she would get a better look, but no one was there.

"Who's there?" She asked out loud as she took a few steps further in, looking around. Maybe it had just been in her head? After all, it was 3:15 am, she was tired, she probably just imagined it all. Deciding on that Regina turned off the lights and made her way back into her bedroom and tucked herself back into bed, but as soon as she closed her eyes she heard it again.

"Regina…."

This time when she opened up her eyes, she saw someone standing by her bed. Regina flew up, her heart jumping up in her throat. Even though it was dark and the figure was transparent, Regina knew who it was.

"Regina, help me…"

"Mo-mother…?"


End file.
